1. Washington Football Team: They were the feel-good story of 2020. Ron Rivera beat cancer and Alex Smith returned to the field after a gruesome leg injury suffered in 2018. Although they had a losing record, the Washington Football Team looked the best of anyone in the NFC East that was down as a whole last season. They won the division for the first time since 2015. With Alex Smith now retired, the Football Team signed Ryan Fitzpatrick to a one-year deal. I’m excited to see what this defense does next. Chase Young and Montez Sweat are a tandem of defenders to watch. Chase was named Defensive Rookie of the Year for his stellar first season in the league. Now, let’s see how they build off of what was started last season. Where do they go from here?
2. New York Giants: After some years of struggling, I saw a team show more effort alone in 2020 than they did the last three or four years combined. That tells me one thing. The Giants want to play for Joe Judge. Even with Saquon Barkley tearing his ACL, the Giants found ways to still keep themselves in football games. The Giants were active in the off-season. The theme was to surround Daniel Jones with playmakers. They signed Kyle Rudolph and added free-agent wide receiver Kenny Golladay to the roster. On the defense, they drafted Azeez Ojulari to be their pass rusher. With a healthy Saquon back in the fold, the Giants’ offense can be something to watch. It all depends on which Daniel Jones we will see. They go as far as he takes them.
3. Dallas Cowboys: 2020 was a nightmare for them. The defense couldn’t stop anybody and the reason why they were even in games was because of Dak Prescott. Then, Dak ends up breaking his ankle and is lost for the rest of the season. After that injury, the Cowboys were never able to bounce back. You saw how important Dak was for them when he was sidelined. He finally got the contract extension he deserved after being franchised in 2020. Jerry Jones focused on one thing this off-season: Defense. After swapping picks with the Eagles in the draft, the Cowboys selected Micah Parsons from Penn State. I see the rookie having an immediate impact. They will be a favorite to win the division again with a healthy Prescott on the field.
4. Philadelphia Eagles: They were a mess last season. The Eagles parted ways with both Carson Wentz and Doug Pederson. Philly hired Nick Sirianni as their next head coach. What was the major issue for them in 2020? It was two things. One was the injuries on the offensive line. They started many different offensive line combinations weekly. The other was injuries on top of injuries. In the draft, the Eagles decided to reunite two former college teammates. They selected DeVonta Smith out of Alabama. He played with Jalen Hurts during their college days together. The free agency signing of Safety Anthony Harris will help generate takeaways for their defense.
2021 Predictions
1. Football Team (10-7)
2. Cowboys (9-8)
3. Giants (7-10)
4. Eagles (6-11)
The NFC East is the most unpredictable division in all of football. I have the Football Team repeating as division champions. They upgraded both sides of the football. Washington added speed at receiver with Curtis Samuel who played for Ron Rivera while with the Carolina Panthers. They added to their offensive line with Samuel Cosmi from Texas and on defense, they selected Jamin Davis with their first draft pick. Washington also has the best defense in the entire division which should help them again this season.
